[ussbansheec] Catching Fire
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:52:21 -0500
_Catching Fire
_by Sinon S'Faest'Saeihr, Revaed S'Aehallh'Nveni, & Mei Quon
"Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches
fire again every time a child is born"--George Bernard Shaw
It was nice to relax for once, Sinon thought as he wandered idly along
the promenade of DSVP. It was busy here, so it seemed a little odd for
Starfleet to have decided this was where they'd launch their new ship
from but who was he to argue. He was still quietly stunned at the
promotion to XO having barely served a month as SO on his previous
ship. He had a sneaking suspicion that his mother had something to do
with it but if she had, he knew getting angry would only make things
worse so he let it lie. As he wandered, a dark figure caught his eye
and he randomly started to follow them. Where have I seen those eyes?
he thought.
A quiet, simple walk with his e'lev. That was all this was going to
be. After once again reassuring Pila that he was completely whole,
Revaed simply wanted to spend some time with Mei, to talk to her and
just be with her. No annoying hru'Airifvir, no pesky children from
ch'Rihan...just them. He held her hand easily as they walked but
something wasn't right. He tensed slightly as they walked, lifting his
eyes as if to scan ahead of them.
The way the man held himself reminded Sinon of someone. Of course he
knew the woman the man walked with, who didn't know the Field Marshall.
But the dark man himself... Sinon found himself following closer,
trying to figure out who he was.
Stalked. He'd heard the same pattern of foot steps, with the same
weight and length, for a few minutes. They were being stalked and that
was completely unacceptable. ~~E'lev, will you excuse me a moment?~~
~~Do not attack any Marines, my love~~ she teased lightly as she reached
to stroke his cheek. "I wish to visit the haberdashery. I will be in
there should you need me."
~~No, not the Marines. Just the one who thinks he is a tracker~~ "Of
course, e'lev," he said aloud before he sharply turned around and
stared, dark eyes looking for the owner of the footsteps. He stalked
forward and stopped dead in front of the young Vulcan. "Have you got a
problem?"
It suddenly clicked as Sinon stared into those dark, foreboding eyes,
who the man was. "No, rekkhai," he said smoothly, his mouth twitching
just a little in amusement. "But you're older than I thought you'd be."
"Then maybe you think too much," Revaed said with a snort, his hand
resting on the hilt of his kaleh. " Hwiiy?" he demanded, eyes still
staring at the younger man.
"Sinon S'Faest'Saeihr," he said with a smirk, his eyes taking in where
the older man's hand was. "And you are Di'nanov, na?"
He blinked just once but didn't unbend one iota. "You are Dara's child?"
"Ie, for my sins," Sinon smirked even broader.
"Then hear this, boy. The one whose name is Senar is au di'nanov. I am
simply someone who helped her out," he replied, still not moving.
"No, the man called Senar is my father," Sinon corrected, wanting to
explain how it felt in his head. "The man who sired me is di'nanov.
Don't mistake my terminology, rekkhai, di'nanov is not a term of
endearment to me, it is a simple biological fact."
"Damned right about that," Revaed said with a snort. "Elements but you
even sound like him."
"You knew my father?" Sinon asked suddenly. It had never occurred to
him that the Enarrain would have met Senar. "Did you know him well?
Were you friends?" There was a soft desperation in his eyes as he
stared at Revaed.
Revaed finally unbent, if only slightly. Crossing well muscled arms
across his chest, he regarded the younger man. "There are few that I
dare call friend that who are not, in some way, related to me. That
being the case, you could say he was. That was a decent io," he told
him. "I would not have agreed to your mother's request if he were not."
"You know he's dead then?" Sinon said, his voice heavy. "What did you
know of him?"
"I have family in Starfleet. They keep their ears and eyes open if I
ask them to," Revaed told him. "He was a good man, certainly not
lacking in passion if he could tolerate your mother."
"Any man who could love her is strong, na?" he asked softly.
"Any man who can love so strong a female and still remain himself is to
be admired. He was himself as she was herself and it worked well for
them," he explained. Ie, just as only Mei can tolerate you. No other
is like her.
"You never loved my Ri'nanov?" Sinon said, meeting the other man's
eyes. "You don't think she's a fine woman?"
"No, boy, I did not love her. She certainly was, and probably still is,
a fine woman but not mine. I like her but she is not my type. A friend
is it."
"She told me stories of you when I was a child, you know," he admitted
with a fond smile. "She made you into some kind of hero to ch'Rihan and
her people. You've a lot to live up to, as my father would say."
At that, Revaed laughed outright. "So I hear. Yet I've been told not
too very long ago that I was rude and obnoxious," he said with a
satisfied smirk. "That's true, too."
"She said," Sinon laughed. "But a good man. I've been trying to live
up to you my whole life, rekkhai."
"Don't," Revaed said in all seriousness. "Live up to your own
mnhei'sahe, Sinon. You cannot live up to anyone else's. I am no longer
what I was then but I am not unhappy."
"I have my own but it's hard to keep it when my Ri'nanov insists on
taking so many choices from me," he chuckled. "She fears losing me too,
I think."
"No doubt you are right in that matter," he murmured, remembering Mei's
lost family. That only him realize that she was going to need to hear
about this and very soon. He'd never gotten to actually tell her...
"I don't mind but I would much rather get my promotions myself and on my
own merit," he sighed. Glancing at the man, Sinon frowned. "Is
everything alright?"
"Perhaps you are. Try asking if you did," he told him. ~~E'lev, do you
remember when those two children came to visit that there was another
matter I wanted to discuss?~~
Mei raised her eyes from the soft silk material she was buying. ~~I
do. What is it, my love?~~
"Stay right there," Revaed said to Sinon, as imperiously as if he'd
known the man all his life, before striding off to the shop. ~~It is
not a what but a who. The son of a friend.~~
Mei nodded to the shop assistant and placed her credit chip on the
counter to pay for the two metres she'd asked for. ~~Who?~~
He stopped at the entrance to the shop, waiting for her. This was not
exactly prime time for such important information....~~Years ago, she
and her husband asked me for a favor. I agreed.~~
"Thank you," she said softly as she took the bag of dark green, Japanese
silk from the shopkeeper. ~~Yes?~~ she asked as she strolled up to him
and kissed Revaed's cheek. ~~What kind of favour?~~
He tensed inside, still remembering the slap she'd given him the last
time. He somehow doubted this was going to go well. ~~They were unable
to conceive and decided that my generic material would be suitable to
mix with hers. I most emphatically did not touch her.~~
~~Your genetic material~~ Somehow it sounded so clinical to her, so
cold, so much like she'd been before Revaed. ~~This genetic material
would be a child, wouldn't it?~~
~~One who is now a fully grown Lieutenant Commander. I did say that
there was another matter I wanted to broach with you~~ He wrapped an
arm around her waist. ~~Not my child but Senar's~~
"Do not," she whispered very slowly and carefully, "refer to a child's
life in such a cold and impersonal way again." That said, she nodded
and leaned closer to him. ~~Do you keep in contact with the child?~~
"My apologies, e'lev." He meant it sincerely and not simply because it
had offended her. He thought of how Pila loved his boys and
grandchildren. He understood completely. ~~I did not but that was her
wish. He knew who I was though.~~
"He? Another son?" She almost laughed but managed to keep from
embarrassing herself too much. Still the amusement was clear in her
thoughts. ~~Do you collect, my love?~~
He was relieved, somewhat, at her reaction but not very amused. ~~No.
The boy is the only one. Chihnyih is another story.~~
~~You're irritated at me~~ She let out a bright, silvery laughed
because she couldn't hold it any more. "Should I be horrified and tell
you I never wish to see you again? Should I slap you again for good
measure before I storm off in a flurry of emotion?" she teased, having
to pause so she could control her amusement.
He hmmphed at her and shook his head. "Unlike the more base men of my
people, I do not make it a habit to leave children unattended," he told
her. ~~And I half expected you to do just that. I did not purposely
hide anything from you.~~
~~I know~~ Her humour died off as she remembered her reaction from
before and felt it draw an embarrassed blush to her cheeks.
"Come, though," he said as he kissed her forehead. "I left him waiting
back there without explanation."
"I must be honoured if I get to meet your true son," Mei said with a
soft smile.
Sinon had found himself a bench to sit on while he waited. He had no
idea what the man wanted but he had no real reason to leave so it
humoured him to stay.
"I have no true son," he told her as they walked back to where he'd left
Sinon. "That would require agreement on your part."
"Perhaps," she said softly, "not a son, no." Mei let a smile turn up
one corner of her mouth but left the rest expressionless.
~~What's this?~~ he asked her even as he caught sight of Sinon.
~~Sergeant Major Singh told me the results this morning when I had my
medical. A daughter, mine and yours. Did you not wonder at my easy
response to your having a son?~~ She glanced at him out of the corner
of her eyes. ~~I care not how many you have now. Only that she is ours~~
He laughed out loud at that then kissed her soundly, not caring who was
watching or what they thought. ~~She.~~ The thought warmed him more
than he ever thought it could. ~~I'jol'au, Mei. You add to my life
what I did not know was missing.~~
Sinon glanced over at where he heard a bellow of laughter and grinned.
The old warrior looked suddenly at ease, as if someone had lifted all
his cynicism and darkness from him.
"I love you," she said simply as she smiled up into his eyes. "I am
sorry for the pain I've caused."
"Forgiven," he said easily enough. In the past he would have denied any
at all but lying to her was impossible. "Pila will be pleased. He will
call her granddaughter. Now, look over there on the bench."
"I see a young man who has his father's dark eyes and grace," Mei
mused. "But with something else too. He appears almost at ease. My
gentle tiger is never truly at ease but he is."
"The boy's father was a Vulcan," Revaed said with a shrug. ~~It is not
in my nature to be still or at ease. I watch. I protect.~~
"That is what I see in him then," she nodded as she saw him watch them
approach. "His father must have been a better Vulcan than I."
~~A good man but what my nephew calls a poster boy~~ He nodded to Sinon
as they approached. "I could not continue the conversation without
disrespecting she who is my bond mate."
Sinon inclined his head as he rose to his feet and offered the lady a
bow. "Lhhei, I am most honoured."
"Thank you, young man," she said, her smile lighting her eyes. "You do
have his eyes."
"I know. Much to my Ri'nanov's irritation," Sinon chuckled softly.
Revaed shook his head. "What did she expect? These eyes see
everything. Good thing for a diplomat I say."
"Now that is exactly what my father said," Sinon mused. "See all, hear
all, be nothing to all."
"That might work for you but there was nobody on ch'Rihan who did not
know me, at least by sight. I know a pair of Rihannsu children who can
attest to that. The hru'Airifvir has seen fit to make me larger than
life," Revaed chuckled, amused at how Nacilme had reacted to him.
"hru'Airifvir..." Sinon frowned at the word, knowing he'd heard it
before. "A tall lady with incredibly pale skin and white hair, is that
her?"
"That's her. She is an Elements damned pain in my neck," Revaed
grumbled. "Up to who knows what and sending all manner of waifs and
strangers toward me--including those two children."
"Ri'nanov has so many theories about the woman, as if she's one of the
few people who could ever be a mystery to her," Sinon mused. "Strange.
I've met her once and I can still remember the odd look in her eyes.
She told me not to return to ch'Rihan ever again. Can you imagine
that? I don't even think it was malicious."
"If she told you rather than killed you, I would say you were quite
right. Don't kill your mother by having your blood spilled on ch'Rihan,
boy. No honorable death would come to you there," Revaed said darkly.
"Is it because my blood is your blood?" Sinon asked as he glanced at
Revaed. "Or because of who my father was?"
"Both, most likely," Mei observed.
"You may not be a genetic fusion but you are one for Rihannsu
practicalities. Mixed blood is not tolerated well--if at all," Revaed
added.
"I would not have my mother grieve again," Sinon said gravely. "It
almost killed her the first time."
~~Wise boy~~ Mei kissed the side of Revaed's head as she mused
~~Perhaps wisdom is genetic~~
~~Flattery will get you everywhere~~ "Make her proud then and honor
your father's legacy."
"I intend to," Sinon said firmly.
"Now I can ask why you are here on this station," Revaed said.
"I am having a period of rest before the next battle begins," Sinon
admitted with an easy shrug. "In one week I become XO of the USS
Cairngorm B. She's small but fast. A newly designed ship."
"A new ship from here?" he wondered. "I don't suppose they've seen fit
to say what its assignment will be?"
"Not a chance," Sinon sighed. "I am hopeful that the new Captain knows
but I am not exactly holding my breath."
Cairngorm... Mei remembered something from one of the briefings she'd
been to recently. It was something very hush hush, very secret.
~~I had hoped to tell Pila more people were looking for his son~~ "A
shame. My friend has a child on Banshee and there is little word."
"If I hear anything, rekkhai, I will tell you first," Sinon promised.
"It would be appreciated. I will be here with him until he chooses to
go home. If you are looking for me and can't find me, look for an elder
Human with short cropped hair," Revaed began then he quirked a smile at
Mei. "Or her."
"Then I must be on my way," Sinon said with an inclined head. "I will
leave you to your lady, rekkhai. May I convey your regards to my Ri'nanov?"
"You may but tell her if she comes looking for me to use the damned
front door. I am tired of waifs and castaways sneaking about in the
middle of the night."
"Ri'nanov, leave Paris, are you mad?" Sinon laughed as he rolled to his
feet and offered the man a boy. "She hasn't left her great gold mansion
for nearly five years except to attend official functions and to go to
the council. No no, you are safe from my mother, trust me."
"One more thing to be thankful for. On the same planet all these years
yet opposite sides," Revaed said with a chuckle. ~~A shame though,
e'lev. She a Fire spirit locked in a place away from Air.~~
~~Grief does strange things to fiery souls~~ Mei observed shyly. ~~It
locks us away. Perhaps she will return to herself when she feels it is
safe again just as I did~~
~~Thee are no ice maiden any longer and for that I am glad~~
~~You warmed me, Revaed~~ Mei knew she would be forever grateful for
that alone.
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